Rawalpindi overrun Hyderabad, Razzaq stars for ZTBL

A quick hundred from Usman Saeed coupled with a five-wicket blitz from Yasim Murtaza helped Rawalpindi Rams crush Hyderabad Hawks by 178 runs at the Municipal Sports Complex. Electing to bat, Rawalpindi were struggling on 92 for 4 at one stage before Saeed took charge. He put on a 104-stand with wicketkeeper Jamal Anwar for the fourth wicket before Zahid Mansoor took centrestage with a breezy 38-ball 41. Saeed remained unbeaten on 120, stroking 10 fours and two sixes in his 117-ball innings as Rawalpindi finished on a strong 307 for 5. Hyderabad's reply never really took off, as they lost wickets regularly. Once the seamers had accounted for the top three batsmen, Murtaza ran through the middle and lower order to finish with 5 for 13, as Rawalpindi completed the formalities by the 36th over.

The Karachi Dolphins would have much to thank their bowlers for the 31-run against Abbottabad Rhinos at the National Stadium. Having scored 321, the hosts saw out a late display from Abbottabad, as Mohammad Sami and Tariq Haroon picked up four and three wickets respectively. Put in by Abbottabad, the Karachi openers made a solid start with Ali Asad looking particularly good. He scored 76 off 104 balls, including five boundaries, and was involved in a third-wicket stand of 74 with Asad Shafiq. Two quickfire forties from Asim Kamal and wicketkeeper Javed Mansoor ensured the hosts finished on an impressive note. Mohammad Sami picked up the first wicket during the chase, that of Hammad Ali, and returned later to mop up the tail as Haroon and Azam Hussain dented the top and middle orders. Fighting fifties from Riaz Kail and Khalid Usman gave Abbottabad some hope but were not enough to guarantee the points as they were bowled out for 290.

Wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf's 93 and another fifty from Kahsif Naved helped Multan Tigers coast to a six-wicket victory against Quetta Bears at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex. Put into bat, Quetta made an impressive start with openers Shoaib Khan jnr and Abdullah Jan involved in a 69-run stand. Mohammad Aslam paired up later with Shoaib as the two added a further 69 for the third wicket. While Shoaib finished with 75 off 82 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes, Aslam managed three boundaries in his 63-ball 51. A late cameo from Ata-ur-Rehman pushed Quetta to 251. Sohaib Maqsood's fireworks early on during the chase set the tone for Multan. Sadaf's 94-ball knock included ten boundaries and a six and along with Kashif's 53-ball 58, which included seven fours and two sixes helped Multan overhaul the target in the 37th over.

Three wickets each from Kashif Daud and Faisal Naved and a blistering fifty from captain Abdul Razzaq during the chase gave Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) a six-wicket win against Pakistan Customs at the Diamond Club Ground. Both Kashif and Naved not only choked the run supply but had the Customs top and middle orders struggling. Hasan Sajjad managed to put some fight and his 59 helped Customs finish on 207. During the reply, Afaq Raheem's early dismissal did not bode well, but Inam-ul-Haq and Junaid Nadir steadied the innings with a second-wicket stand of 79. While Adnan Raza remained unbeaten on 47 off 75 balls, it was the other not out batsman Razzaq who stole the show. He hit a 47-ball 60, comprising three fours and three sixes as ZTBL completed the win in the 39th over.

There was more heartbreak for Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), who finished second-best in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, as they lost to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground. Mohammad Wasim was left ruing his decision to field first, as Khurram Manzoor and Yasir Hameed put on 129 for the second-wicket. Manzoor scored 88 off 100 balls, hitting eight boundaries while Hameed's 76-ball 65 comprised six fours. Their good work was continued by captain Shoaib Malik and Faisal Iqbal who added 112 for the fourth wicket. Both were quickfire innings as Shoaib stroked eight boundaries in his 58-ball 77 and Iqbal's 46-ball 60 was laced with six fours. Set 322 to win, Rizwan Ahmed's 90-ball 84 proved to be the only joy for the hosts. His partnership of 77 with Ali Khan (41 off 31 balls) for the fifth wicket was the highest in the innings as KRL lost by 65 runs.